Split [7-inch] (2010)

Thinker Thought

Jared Grabb teams up with friend and fellow singer-songwriter Wesley Wolfe for this quick but solid split 7" single.

Grabb, the former frontman of Scouts Honor, comes out with "La Salle", an acoustic-tinged full-band number with big, stomping jangles but a modest vocal delivery. Since Against Me! comparisons always ran rampant with Scouts Honor, it's not terribly far-fetched to detect a hint of Tom Gabel in Grabb's voice here. But it's very subtle. While the overall sound and tone is more entrancing than the songwriting, it's a cool track.

Wolfe's "Climb Up" is plenty different. It's more in tune with '90s indie pop or rock, a sparkly, distorted drifter somewhere between Guided by Voices and early Hanalei. Definitely something that would make me interested in Wolfe's other material.